Night-Time Snacking - Suggestions?

So I am back on Momentum and loving it so far - I had been on it for about 6 months in 2008 with great success, and now that I am back on it I am a little surprised about how easy it has been to get back in the habit.

One thing that is a little different than the last time I did it is I now have notable evening cravings. Starting around 9pm, I get the hankering for something. I know it's not hunger, at least not physical hunger. Some nights I can successfully avoid it and tell the little voice in my head to pipe down, but some nights I can't.

Usually it doesn't end up in a major fail, just 2-3 points over my limit. But that adds up!

I have a few things on hand that are good snacks, like some fruit, veggies, and popcorn, but really I want to break this habit/hankering.

Phone a friend, have a nice bath. Just try to distract yourself. Or a good on I've found at the moment is watch a tv program on weight loss surgery/dieting etc. there tends to be lots on this time of the year-keeps me focused anyway.

I have a really tough time with this too. I will find myself mindlessly snacking at night when I've quieted down and aren't doing much. If it's my time of the month or I've had a stressful week or any other situation where I know that I'm not going to be able to fight the cravings, I scoop half my veggies or part of whatever else I'm eating for supper and stash it for later so that I'm not going over my calorie limits.

When I really don't want to end up snacking that late, I make a big mug of herbal tea and sip it slowly. That way I'm still putting something in my mouth.

What worked for me, and trust me I was bad about this, was to decide to stop eating. There was a WW meeting about mindless eating a few months ago, and the old tip of brushing your teeth to prevent mindless eating came up. So I thought about when we put our kids down for sleep, and how after that is when I treated myself to uninterrupted snacking. I would eat something, even if I didn't want it just because that's what I was in the habit of doing.

So for a week I stopped eating at 8. When the kids brushed their teeth for bed, I brushed mine. That went pretty well so I moved it up another hour, to 7. This basically allowed me time to eat dinner when I got home after work and that's it.

I also found that I REALLY prefer chocolate with coffee and I like to have a bit of chocolate when I wake up. So now that's when I have my treat for the day. And some recent research even shows that this strategy can help improve cravings throughout the day and aid in weight loss, as long as you keep the snack small.

It sounds hard at first but it's really easy to do it once you are used to it. It actually simplified my life, and I get to use more time at night to work on crocheting, which I love.

Totally understand your dilemma. What works for me is, as others have said, to stay far away from the kitchen!! So, I go upstairs and watch TV. I bring with me a cup of hot tea, and snuggle up in the arm chair in my bedroom. That way I feel like I'm being nice to myself. I try shut down the food churning factory (my mouth, lol) by about 7 pm